He says he will now use public spending in an effort to end 20 years of economic stagnation, and that nuclear energy has a role to play in resource-poor Japan's future despite last year's nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

Abe has also called for a tough stance on the territorial row with China over East China Sea islands that both countries claim.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo that Japan looks like it is about to take a dramatic turn to the right.

Relations between Japan and China, which are already poor, could be about to get worse, he says.

Noda lost public support over the move to double sales tax, something he said was necessary to tackle Japan's massive debt.

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